Sudbury Historical Commission

Report on the Demolition Plan

The Stone Tavern Farmhouse

554 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, Massachusetts

September 17, 2019

The Stone Tavern Farm represents the full spectrum of Sudbury’s history beginning with Sudbury Plantation in 1638 and direct descent linkage to 1620 migration patterns through Stone family forebears Myles Standish and other Mayflower passengers.

There are no other structures or buildings in Sudbury that are more historically valuable and significant than the Tavern Farmhouse and red Barn on the Stone Tavern Farm coupled with its farm landscape. It is rare that the unique tavern farmhouse and barn combination still exists today – and rarer still to be a farm located on the Boston Post Road where it served the public in the early 18th century.

The Stone Tavern Farmhouse is one of numerous structures on the property which include a c. 1850 red barn with cupola, a large shed barn, a trench silo barn, a structure to house farm equipment, other outbuildings, and a 1980’s workshop and a 1990’s farm stand. The buildings on the three acre parcel fronting the Boston Post Road are still coupled with the 56 acre farmland (under the 1984 Agricultural Preservation Restriction) north of the tavern, barns and other structures. According to Sudbury Conservation Commission information presented to the 1984 TM, Ezekiel Howe, owner of the Wayside Inn, also owned what became known as the Stone Tavern Farm using it as a tannery and bakery during the American Revolution.

The Georgian Period farmhouse is one bay deep with six over six single windows at the first and second story on the east side, a second story 6/6 window on the west side, a small window at the peak of both gable ends; is a five bay wide, two and one-half story structure with additions and ells, an enclosed portico with entrance door centered on its front with side windows, six over six double hung windows with a slightly projecting frames, and a large central chimney which extends at the ridge. There is a 1984 glass greenhouse addition on the west side of the farmhouse which is entered from the house through a door in the west gable end. Projecting off the right side at the back right corner of the farmhouse is an el extension with a chimney on its east end wall. Directly behind the farmhouse core is a one story “lean-to” addition to which a second story was added later over a portion of the first story by Ralph Stone (1892-1965) for a bedroom for his son William (1929-2014). Another addition was added behind the El and joined to the east end of the “lean-to” part of the farmhouse. A small addition is located in the farmhouse’s back left corner next to the “lean-to”. The farmhouse core has a fieldstone foundation and a partial basement purportedly mostly under the left (west) side of the farmhouse core.

The Historical Commission’s 1995 survey was completed without any interior investigation of the farmhouse to assist in dating the age of the structure. At that time a date of construction was given as c. 1804 because the farmhouse was cited in the 1804 Old Farmer’s Almanac as being in operation as a tavern and mail stop. However, photographs (see attached) recently obtained by the Historical Commission show an abundance of early to mid 18th century architectural details and features including a

winder staircase centered at the front of the farmhouse, wood paneling including wood paneling on the entire fireplace wall in the first floor left side room with the fireplace in this room with what appears to be original brickwork, wood mantels, summer beams running parallel to front of the farmhouse, gunstock posts, H door hinges, metal door handles, tavern room on right side of farmhouse with wide firebox and beehive oven flush with the front of the fireplace, two built-in china closets (wall and corner) in tavern room, and paneled doors. Purportedly the second floor of the farmhouse core has original wide pine floors and each room has a fireplace, and the first floor El fireplace has a mid-19th century decorative metal fireplace insert.

The Stone Tavern Farmhouse paired with the c 1850 red barn with cupola and other barns and outbuildings demonstrates the evolution of the use of the property from a tavern and mail stop, as noted in the 1804 Farmer’s Almanac, to farming and dairying, and as a horse farm with the fields used as pasture land and for haying. At one point in time the farm was 250 acres extending northwest of Horse Pond Road.

The Tavern Farm property has been continuously owned by the Stone family of over 200 years. It was purchased in 1816 by William Stone (1787-1862), the son of East Sudbury tavern keeper and patriot of the American Revolution, John Stone (1757-1844), from Timothy Batts, stable keeper of Boston (Middlesex County Registry of Deeds, Book 101 Page 216). William operated the property as a tavern and tannery, transitioning to farming after having also operated taverns in Stow and East Sudbury (Wayland). The historic name of the farm is the William Stone Farm.

The Stone family is descended from original Sudbury Plantation (1638) settlers: John Stone (1618-1683), Walter Haynes (1583-1664), Edmund Rice (1594-1663), and Peter Noyes (1590-1657). The family is also directly descended – as stated above - from Myles Standish and numerous other Mayflower passengers, and many who fought in the American Revolutionary War ( see attached Stone Family Genealogy Chart), including Josiah Haynes who died at the Battle of Lexington April 19, 1775.

See Massachusetts MACRIS listing for SUD.9 for references for the Stone Tavern Farm on Sudbury Atlases/maps of 1831, 1856, 1875, 1889, and 1908. Also, see Hudson, The History of Sudbury, 1889: Conkin Middlesex County and its People, 1927 page 139-140; Biographical Review Volume XXVII Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Middlesex County Massachusetts 1898 pages 698 and 701; Gregory Stone Genealogy; Vital Records of the Sudbury, Town Clerk’s Office.

Sudbury Historical Commission 

Report on the Demolition PlanStone Tavern Farmhouse

(MACRIS SUD.9 – William Stone Tavern)

554 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, MassachusettsSeptember 17, 2019

Stone Tavern Farmhouse façade and east elevation with El and Barn with CupolaMassachusetts Historical Commission (MACRIS) Photo 1968 

Stone Tavern Farmhouse1995 MACRIS Photo

Stone Tavern Farmhouse 2019 Photo

Tavern Farmhouse Streetscape View Left Front Corner of Tavern Farmhouse visible on right side of photo with fence facing 

Boston Post Road looking west 

Stone Family Genealogy ChartLinks to 1638 Sudbury Plantation Settler Families (Stone, Noyes, Rice and 

Haynes) and American Revolutionary War Patriots